Block Storage vs. Object Storage vs. File Storage: choosing the right protocol
Quick answer
Pick Block Storage when a single server needs a raw, low-latency disk it formats itself. Pick File Storage when a team or several systems need to share the same folder structure over NFS or SMB. Pick Object Storage when you're writing files once through an HTTP API and reading them back later, such as backups or media. All three answer "where do I put my data," they just answer it for different access patterns.
The core difference: access pattern, not just capacity
These three products get compared on price and capacity, but the decision that actually matters is how the data gets accessed: by one server as a raw disk, by many users as a shared folder, or by applications as objects fetched over HTTP. Get that right and the rest falls into place.
| Block Storage | File Storage | Object Storage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protocol | iSCSI / Fibre Channel | NFS / SMB | S3-compatible HTTP API |
| Filesystem included | No, you format the volume yourself | Yes, folders and subfolders out of the box | No, flat objects inside buckets |
| Attaches to | A single server or VM | Many users and systems at once | Any S3-compatible client or SDK |
| Typical access pattern | Frequent, low-latency random reads and writes | Shared, ongoing read/write access across a team | Write once, read many times |
| Typical use case | VM disks, high-IO databases | Team file shares, document management, user profiles | Backups, static assets, media, archives |
Block Storage: when you control the filesystem
Choose Block Storage when a single server or VM needs a disk with predictable, low latency and you're happy to manage the filesystem yourself. It's the right layer under a database or a VM's own disk, not something you share across a team. See What is Block Storage, and when do you need it for the full explanation.
File Storage: when several people or systems share the same data
Choose File Storage when multiple users or applications need to read and write the same files, organised in ordinary folders, over standard NFS or SMB connections. It comes with rights management, quotas, and self-service recovery from snapshots, so it suits team drives and document management better than a manually maintained file server. See Setting up File Storage for shared team access.
Object Storage: when you write once and read many times over HTTP
Choose Object Storage when data doesn't need a filesystem at all, just an S3-compatible API to write it once and fetch it back later: backups, static website assets, media libraries, log archives. See What is Object Storage? for setup and endpoint details.
What about Backup Storage?
Backup Storage sits alongside these three as a fourth, purpose-built option: a capacity-oriented remote target specifically for backup software, with retention and versioning. It isn't meant as general-purpose file or database storage the way the three products above are. See Using Backup Storage as a disaster-recovery target.
Pricing and capacity: Pricing and exact capacity limits change independently of this article, so they aren't listed here. Check the product pages on worldstream.com, or open a support ticket, for current figures.